Triple jab is safe, say scientists

The MMR jab does not "overload" a child's immune system or create the risk of infection, according to a study published today.

Research by the Public Health Laboratory Service has found no evidence that the combined measles, mumps and rubella vaccine damages babies.

It adds to the mass of research which, scientists say, proves the vaccine is safe, despite claims it can cause autism, bowel disease and other disorders.

Some experts and parents believe exposing 15-month-old babies to three live viruses simultaneously is too much for their immune systems and can lead to such infections as pneumonia.

Scientists from the PHLS published their research in the journal Archives Of Disease In Childhood.

They looked at children aged one and two who had been admitted to hospitals with bacterial infections such as meningitis and pneumonia within three months of having the MMR jab.

The hospitals were in the South-East and the admissions were between 1991 and 1995 when 15-month-old babies had the vaccine. Researchers found that out of 436 hospital admissions, 41 children had underlying conditions which caused the infection or were being re-admitted after earlier problems.

Of the rest, the scientists could find no evidence that the infection was linked to the three-in-one vaccine.